Acceleration control device for centrifugal extractors



J. B. KIRBY Aug. 13, 1957 ACCELERATION CONTROL DEVICE FOR CENTRIFUGALEXTRACTORS Original Filed July 12, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOE BQYNJAMES B. K1126) e/cuez WA 77 2,802,356 ACCELERATION CONTROL DEVICE FORCENTRIFUGAL. EXTRACTORS Original Filed July 12, 1947 J. B. KIRBY Aug.13, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 V NVENTOR. JAMES B. KIEB Y BY E/CHEY WA r rsEDGEEfON MENENNY 5 7 7'0 Ewe-Y5 1957 J. B. KIRBY 2,802,356

ACCELERATION CONTROL DEVICE FOR CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTORS Original FiledJuly 12, 194'? 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FZIIIIIIII/IZ INVENTOR. JAMES B. KIEBYJ. B. KIRBY Aug. 13, 1957 ACCELERATION CONTROL DEVICE FOR CENTRIFUGALEXTRACTORS Original Filed July 12,1 34? 5 Sheets-Sheet -4 R m w w.

JAMES 5. K128) BY E/CHEKWATIIS, EDGEEI ON MNEN/VY 114. ym' a A TTOE'NEYSUnited States Patent flice 2,802,356 Patented Aug. 13, 1957 ACCELERATIONC(BNTROL DEVICE FOR CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTORS James B. Kirby, WestRichfield, Ohio, assignor to The Apex Electrical Manufacturing Co.,Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application July 12,1947, Serial No. 760,555, now Patent No. 2,645,917, dated July 21, 1953.Divided and this application December 12, 1952, Serial No. 325,646

Claims. (Cl. 68-23) This invention relatesto washing machines and moreparticularly to a combined washing and extracting machine of the typedisclosed and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 760,555filed July 12, 1947, now Patent No. 2,645,917 dated July 21, 1953, ofwhich the instant application is a division.

This type of machine is characterized by a washing action wherein thecontainer is progressively t1lted or wobbled with respect to a verticalaxis so that portions of the container are moved with verticalaccelerations exceeding the accelerations due to gravity. Such machinesare further characterized by centrifugally extracting the water from theclothes by rotating the clothes container so as to discharge the waterfrom the container centrifugally through openings at the maximumdiameter of the container.

Numerous attempts have been made to prevent or minimize excessivegyration or excessive vibrations caused by out of balance loads in thecontainer during the centrifugal extraction phase of the machineoperation. Some of such prior efforts to solve the problem presented byrotation of out of balance loads include devices responsive to vibrationfor opening the circuit to the electric motor so that the machine willstop due to excessive out of balance. Other efforts to solve theproblems of out of balance provide that a brake would be applied so asto arrest the rotational movement of the spinning extractor.

According to the present invention, the rotational speed of the spinningextractor may be maintained even though out of balance may occur so thatwater may continue to be extracted from the clothes and such waterremoval be effective with respect to the out of balance so as to reducethe total out of balance mass. For example, it is generally understoodthat satisfactory centrifugal extraction for domestic laundry ischaracterized by a water content equal in weight to the weight of theclothes whereas prior to extraction one pound of clothes may hold asmuch as four pounds of water. Thus it will be appreciated that one poundof clothes out of balance may hold four pounds of water prior toextraction and thus create a total out of balance of five pounds. Now ifsuch out of balance should operate to shut off the motor or apply abrake as the machine goes into the extracting phase, the source of theout of balance trouble remains and the housewife is required toredistribute the load by hand or manually remove a part of the waterload carried by the clothes. According to the present invention, namely,by maintaining the rotation a portion of the water load is removed bycentrifugal extraction and as the water load is progressively removedfrom the clothes which caused the out of balance, the extractorrotational speed may be safely advanced without excessive vibration orgyration of the spinning mass.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine ofthe type referred to wherein the supporting structure of the machineincludes a part resting on the floor or other supporting surface, whichpart, in turn flexibly supports the container and the drive mechanismand wherein the relative movement between the drive mechanism and thepart resting on the floor is utilized to control the rotational speed ofthe extractor whereby the rotational speed may be maintained withinlimits determined by the magnitude of the out of balance forces.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a machine according tothe preceding object wherein that portion of the supporting structurewhich is fixed relative to the surface which supports the machine isprovided with an opening and that portion of the machine which is movedin response to out of balance loads is provided with a loose fitting pindisposed in the opening so that when the pin is moved with respect tothe opening and such relative movement it delays acceleration of thespinning mass.

Other objects and advantages of the invention more or less ancillary innature will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the descriptionherein of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a washing machine taken on the planeindicated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the plane indicated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the control knob taken on the plane indicatedin Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view illustrating the clutch operatingmechanism, taken on the plane indicated in Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional view illustrating the clutch operatingmechanism, taken on the plane indicated in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section, illustrating principally theclutch mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view of a machine modifi ed toincorporate a vibration-responsive control for the centrifuge drive; 7

Figs. 8 and 9 are vertical sections taken on the planes indicated inFig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a vertical section taken on the same plane as Fig 8, showingthe vibration control in operation; and

Figs. 11 and 12 are partial vertical sections taken on the planesindicated in Fig. 8.

Referring to Fig. 1, the machine is mounted on a sheet metal base 14formed with a downwardly directed peripheral flange. The launderingmechanism comprises a generally spherical tub formed in two sections 15and 16 and an annular basket 17 therein, the tub and basket beingsupported on a column 18 formed with an integral conical apron 19. Theapron is secured to thebase by screws 21 entering the apron near itsedge, and the bottom of the tub, which fits against the apron and thebase, is secured by screws 22 and 23. The upper part 15 of the tub isexpanded at its lower edge to form a bead 24 which fits over the bottomportion 16, a sealing ring 26 of rubber or the like being fitted betweenthe two portions.

A hollow shaft 27 extends through the column 18 and is supported by ballbearings 28 and 29. The upper end of the hollow shaft 27 is formed witha. head 31 within which is fixed a ball bearing 32, the axis of which isat a small angle, preferably about seven degrees, to the axis of theshaft. A basket hub 33 in the form of an inverted flanged cup isrotatably supported by the inner race of the ball bearing 32 which isclamped between the inner surface of the hub and the flange 34 of auniversal joint member 36. The member 36 is threaded into the base ofthe hub 33 and retained by a jam nut 37 and a pin 38. The hub 33 maythus rotate about the slightly inclined axis. A hub cap 39 retained by ascrew covers the hub.

The basket 17 is formed of an upper and a lower section welded togetheralong the line 40. The peripheries of the two portions which are weldedare notched slightly, the notches being opposed to provide narrowoutlets 41 for discharge of fluid from the basket. The inner bottomperiphery of the basket is secured to the flange of the hub 33 by screws42. The basket is thus mounted on the hub adjacent its center of mass.Ridges 43 in the bottom of the basket inclined to the radii of thebasket with their outer ends advanced in the direction of rotation serveto impart a roll-over motion to the contents during the washingoperation. The side wall portion 44 of the basket 17 inclines slightlyoutward (about four degrees) from its axis, so that fluid will climb thewall during centrifuging and escape through the vents 41. The uppermargin of the basket is provided with an inwardly rolled flange 45.

A central shaft 46 concentric with the column 18 and hollow shaft 27 isformed with a spherical head 47 received in a bore 48 in the member 36and fitted with a transverse pin 49 engaging in slots 51 in the wall ofthe member 36. A universal joint driving connection is thus providedbetween the shaft 46 and the hub 33. A driving pulley 52 is fixed on thelower end of the hollow shaft 27 and retains within its hub a ballbearing 53 which supports the lower end of the shaft 46. A drive pulley54 is fixed to the lower end of the shaft 56.

By selectively driving and braking the shafts 27 and 46 the basket 17may be given either a wobbling motion for washing or a rotating movementfor centrifuging. When the shaft 46 is braked and the hollow shaft 27 isdriven, the basket is given a wobbling motion, the axis of the basketfollowing two conical paths, the apices of the cones being at the centerof the bearing 32. This motion of the basket, when the shaft 27 isdriven at the proper speed, agitates and distributes the clothes andwater about the basket 17, and rapidly and thoroughly washes them.

When the shaft 27 is braked and the shaft 46 is rotated, the basket isgiven a simple rotational movement about the axis of the bearing 32,which motion serves to extract the water from the clothes throughcentrifugal action, the excess water climbing the lower wall of thebasket and escaping through the openings 41 into the tub 15, 16. A drainopening or spout 56 is formed at the bottom of the tub.

The rotation of the basket about its own axis during extracting, whichis a feature with respect to which the present application is acontinuation-in-part of the aforesaid co-pending application, Serial No.500,945, filed September 2, 1943, which became abandoned November 27,1947, permits the machine to be more compactly constructed and arranged,with a more rapid and efficient extracting operation, since lessinclination of the wall 14 is required to obtain centrifugal dischargeof water around the entire periphery of the basket than is required whenthe basket rotates about the axis of the hollow shaft 27. In the presentconstruction a small angle of inclination of the wall 44, which may beand preferably is less than angle of inclination of the bearing 32,causes the water to climb the side wall and be discharged around theentire periphery of the basket during extracting, whereas in machines inwhich the basket spins about the axis of the vertical shaft 27 theinclination of the side wall of the basket must exceed the inclinationof the bearing to obtain a similar extracting operation. The presentarrangement therefore provides a smaller and more compact machine for agiven weight of clothes.

In the preferred embodiment of the machine as disclosed herein, thebasket 17 is imperforate below the openings 41, which are arranged atthe point of maximum diameter of the basket, well above the level of theclothes and water. In washing, the clothes and the proper amount ofwater are placed in the basket and the water remains in the basketthroughout the washing cycle except for insignificant amounts which maybe splashed out. Good results are obtained by the use of water in theproportion of about 1 gallon of water to one pound of clothes, althoughthis proportion may be varied substantially.

The hub is provided with a lid 57 to return any water which may besplashed from the basket. The lid is formed with a depending flange 58received within the mouth of the tub and against an annulus 59 ofrubber-like material. A skirt 61 depends slightly into the mouth of thebasket so that any water splashed out of the basket near its peripherywill normally strike the skirt and fall into the basket. A central hole62 in the cover with a rolled margin serves as a finger hole forremoving the cover, and a shallow cone 63 spot-welded to the undersideof the cover prevents ejection of fluid through the hole 62.

A drive motor 66 is mounted on the base adjacent the tub in anyconvenient manner, as by feet 67, with its shafts 63 extending throughthe base. A carrying handle 69 is bolted to the upper end bell of themotor and to the upper section 15 of the tub.

The machine is supported by four feet 71 of novel construction, one ofwhich is shown in section in Fig. l. The feet include large rubbersuction cups to grip a smooth surface such as the bottom of a bathtub toprevent crawling of the machine during operation and at the same timeprovide a mounting which is flexible both vertically and laterally. Eachleg comprises a flanged metal cup 72 secured to the under surface of thebase plate 14 by a bolt 73 and a rubber suction cup 74 with a base whichextends into the cup 72 with a flange 75 bearing against the flange ofthe cup 72. The suction cups are of the usual concavo-convex crosssection, generally as shown, and are of relatively large size,preferably two inches or more in diameter. The elasticity of the rubberof the cups tends to maintain the lower face concave despite the weightof the machine unless they are pressed against a surface to force airout. A very small bleed hole 76 is formed in each suction cup, asatisfactory way of forming the hole being to drill through with a ,4inch drill, making a substantially invisible hole.

The bleed holes make it possible to remove the washing machine from thebathtub or other supporting surface without difficulty, since air bleedsinto the space between the cups and the supporting surface. However, thebleed holes, because of the mode of operation of the machine, do notinterfere with adhesion of the suction cups during the operation of themachine. The reason for this is that in operation, both in washing andin ex.- tracting, any vibrations that tend to move the machine on itssupporting surface have vertical components which tend alternately toforce the suction feet down and lift them up. When the foot is forceddownward by vibration, if it is not firmly seated, air or water will bepumped out around the margin of the cup.- 'When the vibratory movementis upward the tendency is to draw air in through the bleed hole, butsince the orifice is so small, air can enter only very slowly relativeto the speed at which it can be expelled at the rim of the suction cup.Thus, due to the vibration of the machine, a vacuum is maintained withinthe cup. When the operation of the machine is ended, however, suflicientair will enter through the bleed hole to destroy the vacuum in thesuction cup within a short time and permit the machine to be lifted. Thesuction cups are formed with an intermediate stem portion 77 to givethem lateral and vertical flexibility so that the machine has a limitedfreedom of movement suificient to permit it to vibrate with respect tothe surface on which it is mounted and thus minimize transmission ofvibrations to the supporting surface.

Vibration of the machine during the washing operation is minimized bythe provision of rotating weights in static balance and dynamicunbalance which set up a force in opposition to the reaction from thewobbling movement of the container 17. These counterbalancing weightsare a weight 81 fixed to the head 31 of the hollow shaft 27 by a screw82, and a diametrically opposed weight 83 secured to the hollow shaftpulley 52 by a bolt 84. When the hollow shaft 27 is rotated from theposition shown in Fig. 1, and the shaft 46 is held stationary, thebasket 17 is moved clockwise about an axis perpendicular to the plane ofFig. 1 passing through the center of the ball 47. The force appliedthrough the bearing 32 to produce this motion of the basket reacts onthe machine as a whole and tends to move it counterclockwise about thesame axis. At the same time, the rotating weights 81 and 83 generatecentrifugal forces which are displaced lengthwise of the axis ofrotation of the shaft 27. These centrifugal forces constitute a couplewhich, at the instant the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1,tends to move the machine in a clockwise direction. By properlyproportioning the masses of the weights 81 and 83 their distances fromthe axis of rotation, and their axial separation, the couple set up bythese weights may be made equal and opposite to the couple resultingfrom the movement of the basket 17. It will be apparent that the coupledue to the weights 81 and 83 rotates with the shaft 27 and the reactionforce of the basket 17 likewise rotates with the shaft 27 so that theseforces remain in opposition to each other during the washing action.Preferably the magnitude of the couple created by the weights 81 and 83is sufficient to balance substantially the mass of the basket 17 and thereaction force of an average load of clothes and water.

The weights 81 and 83 may be mounted on the hollow shaft 27 because ofthe fact that this shaft is rotated only during the washing operationand is held stationary during the extracting operation. It will beapparent that the weights would create an erratic operation if they weremounted on a member which rotates during extracting. In respect to thisfeature of driving the outer shaft during washing and holding itstationary during extracting, the present application is acontinuation-in-part of my said application Serial No. 500,945, filedSeptember 2, 1943, which became abandoned November 27, 1947.

It will be recalled that the hollow shaft 27 is rotated and the centralshaft 46 is held stationary during the washing operation, and that theshaft 46 is rotated and shaft 27 is held stationary during theextraction operation. These motions are supplied from the single motor66 by means of a novel drive mechanism which, in addition, provides forbraking both the hollow shaft and the central shaft. The novel clutchand brake mechanism is shown geenrally in Figs. 1 and 2 and in greaterdetail in Figs. 4 to 6. A pulley 86 (Fig. on the motor shaft 68 drivesthe pulley 52 fixed to the hollow shaft by a belt 87. A second drivepulley 88 on the motor shaft drives the central shaft pulley 54 by abelt 89. The pulleys 86 and 88 are mounted to float on the motor shaft68, as will be seen most clearly in the sectional view of Fig. 6, andare of identical construction, being formed with a central opening 91for clearance of the motor shaft and counter bored at 92 to receive aball bearing 93 which is slidable on the motor shaft. A spring 94compressed between a boss 96 on the motor frame and the inner bearingrace urges the pulley 86 downward. A spring 97, compressed between theinner race of the lower bearing 93 and a washer 98 secured to the lowerend of the shaft 68 by a screw 99, urges the lower pulley upward. Eachpulley is formed with a flange 101 faced with a ring of frictionmaterial 102, the flanges being on the adjacent faces of the twopulleys. A driving clutch disc 103 is fixed to the shaft 68 intermediatethe pulleys 86 and 88 by a pin 104. The upper and lower faces of theclutch disc 103 may coact with the clutch facings 102 of the pulleys 86and 88 to couple either pulley to the motor shaft 68.

The clutching and unclutching as well as braking of the pulleys isaccomplished by a non-rotating ring 106 disposed around the clutch disc103 between the outer portions of the flanges 101 of the pulleys. Thering 106 is supported between two arms 107 of a clutch operating lever108 by means of pointed cap screws 109 received in conical holes 111 atthe opposite ends of a diameter ofthe ring 106. The ring 106 is ofgreater thickness parallel to the axis of the shaft 68 than the disc103. With the ring 106 in the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the lowerpulley is held out of engagement with the clutch disc 103 and is brakedby engagement with the ring 106, the brake engaging force being suppliedby the spring 97. If the ring 106 is elevated slightly, it picks up theupper pulley 86, slightly compressing the spring 94, and maintainingboth pulleys clear of the driving disc 103. Still further verticalmovement of the ring 106 permits the lower pulley 88 to engage the disc103 and be driven thereby while the pulley 86 is still braked.

Control of the position of the brake and clutch lever 108 is effected bya handwheel 113 (Figs. 1 and 3) fixed to the upper end of a verticalcontrol shaft 114 by a screw 116. The upper end of the shaft 114 isguided by a bracket 117 extending from the handle 69, and the lower endis guided by a bearing 118 (Figs. 1 and 5) secured to the base 14.Indicia 119, 120 and 121 on the knob 113 identify Wash, off, and drypositions of the control shaft, being read against an index 122 fixed tothe upper casing 15 of the tub. The lower end portion 123 of the controlshaft 114 is threaded and bears thereon in tightly assembled relation, anut 124, a bushing 125 within, and slightly longer than, the bearing118, a thrust nut 126, a lock nut 127, a threaded member 128, and twolock nuts 129.

The member 128 is formed with threads of large pitch on its outersurface. A nut 131, which may be of octagonal form, travels on the screw128. The nut 131 is formed with slots 132 in opposite faces, in whichare engaged the edges of a slot 133 in the clutch operating lever 108.An enlarged portion 134 of the slot provides for assembly of the nut 132into the slot 133. An arm 136 of the lever 108 is pivoted by a pin 1.37in a clevis of a bracket 138 which is fixed to the under side of thebase plate 14. Rotation of the shaft 114 by the knob 113 raises andlowers the nut 131 through action of the screw 128, rotating the lever108 about its fulcrum 137. The brake ring 106 is thus moved axially ofthe motor shaft 68, as previously described. The position of the ring106 in Figs. 5 and 6, in which the upper pulley 86 is rotated, is thewash position, causing rotation of the hollow shaft 27. When thehandwheel 113 is turned 90 degrees to the off position both pulleys arebraked and the motor runs idle. When the knob is turned further to thedry position the pulley 86 is braked and the pulley 88 is rotated toeffect the centrifuging action.

Figs. 7 to 12 illustrate the incorporation. in the machine justdescribed, of means to decelerate the basket upon the occurrence ofexcessive vibration during the extracting operation. In general, this isaccomplished by substituting, for the fixed pin 137 of Fig. 5, a movablefulcrum for the clutch lever 108, and providing mechanism to move thefulcrum so as to declutch and brake the pulley 88. Apart from thisfeature the machine may be the same as previously described. Certainparts which are unmodified are identified in Figs. 7 to 12 by the samereference characters as in Figs. 1 to 6 for purposes of identification.

Fig. 8 illustrates the mechanism in the normal position for extractionwith the ring 106 braking the pulley 86 and permitting the pulley 88 toengage the driving clutch disc 103. The clutch lever 108a is formed tocoact with the brake ring 106 and the traveling nut 131 inthe mannerpreviously disclosed, but the fulcrum end is bifurcated as shown inFigs. 7 and 11, the fulcrum pin 137a passing through the legs 151 and1.52 of the lever and being retained in place by cotter keys or the like153. The pin 137a passes through the outer end of the arm 154 of abellcrank lever which is disposed between the legs 151 and 1520f theclutch lever. The second arm155 of the bellcrank is in the form of adepending pin at right angles to the leg 154. The bellcrank lever 7 is'fulcrumed on a pivot pin 1'56 (Figs. 7and 12) which is mounted in aU-shaped bracket 157 formed with flanges which aresecured to the undersurface of the base plate 14 by machine screws 158. The lower portion ofthe bracket 157 is cutaway at 159 for clearance of the arm 1550f thebellcrank. The arm 154 of the bellcrank lies within and extends beyondthe vertical portions of the bracket 157. An extension 161 of the lowerportion of the bracket underlies the end-of the arm 154 which normallyrests thereon. A coiled compression spring 162 disposed between thebellcrank arm d and the base plate 14 urges the outer end of the armdownwardly. The lower end of the spring is received in a blind bore 163in the end of the arm and the upper end is inserted in a blind bore 164in the base plate 14.

The force of the spring 162 is greater than that of the spring 94 sothat normally the bellcrank arm 154- is held against the projection 161of the bracket 157 when the arm 108a is raised, and the action of theclutch and brake mechanism is the same as previously disclosed. However,if the arm 155 is forced to the right from the position of Fig. 8 tothat of Fig. 10, the pin 137a will be raised and the lever 108a will berotated about the nut 131 as a fulcrum. This lowers the braking ring 106against the clutch facing 102 of the lower pulley 88, braking anddeclutching the pulley and decelerating the basket.

This actuation of the arm 155 is effected by a vibrationcontrol plate166 parallel to the base plate 14 and supported by modified suction cups74a adjacent the bottom of the legs 71. The suction cups 74a are formedwith ears 167 extending horizontally therefrom near the lower surface,which are pierced for machine screws 168 received in tapped holes inslightly dished portions 169 at the margin of the plate 166. The plate166 is formed for clearance from the feet 71 except where it engages theears 167. a

The arm 155 extends through an opening 171 in the plate 166 which ispartially closed by a plate 172 adjustably mounted on the plate 171 bybolts 173 which pass through slots 174 in the plate 171. The plate 172is formed with a central opening 176 in which is fitted a rubber grommet177. When the machine is not operating the grommet 177 is slightly outof contact with the left hand side of the arm 155 as shown in Fig. 8. Ifextraction is started and the material in the basket is unbalanced, asthe centrifuge gains speed, the entire machine will vibrate laterally asa result of the centrifugal forces and the resilience of the stems ofthe suction cups. The body of the machine including the plate 14 willvibrate with respect to the control plate 166 which will remainsubstantially stationary, since it is mounted near the bottoms of thesuction cups. If the vibration is excessive, the grommet 177 will engagethe arm 155 and hammer against it rapidly, rotating the bellcrank as inFig. 10, and releasing the clutch so as to reduce the speed of rotation.The sensitiveness of the vibration control may be varied by shifting theplate 172 to the right or left in Figs. 8 and 10.

Preferably the shaft 27 is driven during washing at a speed such thatthe bottom surface of the container 17 is accelerated upwardly anddownwardly at accelerations exceeding the acceleration of gravity. Forthis purpose the shaft 27 may be driven at a speed of about 600 R. P. M.in the embodiment illustrated, in which the bearing 32 is inclined atabout seven degrees and the container 17 has a diameter of about twelveinches. The resulting rapid wobbling motion imparted to the containergives a jigging motion to the clothes and water with a relatively slowprogression of the mass of clothes and water about the container and aroll-over motion, with the outer portions of the mass of clothes andwater rising along the side wall 44 and moving inwardly over the top andthe mass and downwardly around the central member 33.

The shaft 46 may be, and preferably is, rotated for extracting at thesame speed that the shaft 27is rotated for washing. It wilb-beapparent,however, that the relative speeds of the two shafts may be modified asdesired by changing the sizes of the driving pulleys.

To operate the machine it may be set in a bathtub, sink, wash tub, orthe like. Preferably the supporting surface is one on which water maybepermitted to drain from the outlet 56.- An appropriate quantity ofwater, in the proportion 'of about one gallon of water to one pound ofclothes, is poured into the container 17 and soap or a detergent isadded. The clothes to be washed are dumped into the container, the motoris energized, and the control knob is turned to the Wash position. Thecontainer is thus wobbled,'agitating the clothes and water, the clothesbeing given a rapid jigging motion and also a relatively slow rotationaround the container and a rollover motion, as described in myaforementioned copending applications. When the clothes have been washeda sufficient time, the control may be turned to dry, spinning thecontainer about its axis and expelling the wash water, soap and dirt bycentrifugal force. Clean water is then added, and the washing andextracting cycles are repeated to rinse the clothes and extract therinse water. A second rinse may be performed if desired. It will benoted that when the control is turned to off, the rotation of the basketis braked so that it soon comes to a stop, permitting convenient removalof the clothes. Water expelled from the container is caught by the tub16, 17 and drained into the sink or bathtub from the outlet 56.

Vibration of the machine during the washing operation is minimized bythe balancing Weights 81, 83 and any residual vibration is exhibited asfree vibration of the entire machine, which is permitted by the verticaland lateral resilience of the rubber feet. Excessive vibration of themachine during the extracting operation is prevented by thevibration-sensitive speed control for the extractor illustrated in Figs.7 to 12. Crawling of the machine is prevented by the adhesion of thesuction cups to the surface of the tub. Upon completion of the washingoperation, air enters the suction feet through the bleed holes 76 andthe machine may be readily removed and stowed away Many modifications ofthe machine disclosed herein may be made within the compass of theinvention, and certain features may be employed without the employmentof others. For example, a flexible shaft may be substituted for thecentral shaft 46 and its universal joint, as in my aforementionedapplication Serial No. 500,945, filed September 2., 1943, which becameabandoned November 27, 1947.

Separate motors may be employed to drive the-shafts 27 and 46alternately or concurrently, in general as disclosed in said abandonedapplication Serial No. 500,945. Such modification need not eliminate thevibration control during extraction. The pulley 86 may be removedwithout affecting the extractor drive, and may be driven by a secondmotor.

in such case, the operation of the shafts 27 and 46 may be controlled byselectively or concurrently energizing the two motors, or by providing aclutch between each motor and its shafts. Brakes for the shafts may beprovided, which may, for example, be combined with a clutch as in theform specifically disclosed herein, or may be separate from the clutch,as in said abandoned application Serial No. 500,945.

What is claimed is:

1. in combination, a machine including a mechanism the operation ofwhich is normally accompanied by vibration, laterally flexible legs forsupporting the machine, a member connected to the legs adjacent thelower ends thereof so as to shift laterally to a smaller extent than themachine due to vibration, means on the machine adapted to retard themachanism, and an operator for the said means adapted to engage themember upon excessive vibration of the machine and be displaced by themember to retard the mechanism.

2. In combination, a machine including a mechanism the operation ofwhich is normally accompanied by vibration, a motor for driving themechanism, a clutch interposed between the motor and the mechanism, abrake for the mechanism, laterally flexible legs for supporting themachine, a member connected to the legs adjacent the lower ends thereofso as to shift laterally to a smaller extent than the machine due tovibration, means on the machine adapted to release the clutch and engagethe brake, and an operator for the said means adapted to engage themember upon excessive vibration of the machine and be displaced by themember to release the clutch and engage the brake.

3. In combination, a machine including a mechanism the operation ofwhich is normally accompanied by vibration, a motor for driving themechanism, a clutch interposed between the motor and the mechanism,laterally flexible legs for supporting the machine, a member connectedto the legs adjacent the lower ends thereof so as to shift laterally toa smaller extent than the machine due to vibration, means on the machineadapted to release the clutch, and an operator for the said meansadapted to engage the member upon excessive vibration of the machine andbe displaced by the member to release the clutch.

4. In combination, a machine including a mechanism the operation ofwhich is normally accompanied by vibration, a motor for driving themechanism, a brake for the mechanism, laterally flexible legs forsupporting the machine, a member connected to the legs adjacent thelower ends thereof so as to shift laterally to a smaller extent than themachine due to vibration, means on the machine adapted to engage thebrake, and an operator for the said means adapted to engage the memberupon excessive vibration of the machine and be displaced by the memberto engage the brake.

5. A Washing and extracting machine comprising a frame, a verticallydisposed pedestal carried by the frame, a motor carried by the frame, atube rotatably carried in said pedestal, a shaft within said tube, awashing and extracting container connected to the upper end of saidshaft, a base assembly supporting said frame for limited lateralmovement in response to gyratory movements of the said container andpedestal, said base assembly including a plate having an aperturebeneath said frame, drive means operatively connecting said motor andthe lower end of: said shaft, said drive means including a frictionclutch, a control for said clutch on the frame having a depending pinloosely fitting in said aperture whereby gyratory movement of the framewith respect to the base assembly moves said clutch control to efiectrelease of the clutch proportional to the movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,600,249 Sando Sept. 21, 1926 1,946,725 Andrews et a1. Feb. 13, 19342,035,481 Hume Mar. 31, 1936 2,067,572 Kirby Jan. 12, 1937 2,119,918Kirby June 7, 1938 2,161,604 Watts June 6, 1939 2,645,917 Kirby July 21,1953

